The Silo
by James Locke
Summary: I'm finally finished with my story. I'll be putting up another chapter soon to be a teaser to my next story as well as an Author's Note.
1. Default Chapter

Almost a year after Jak's battle with Metal-Kor did Haven City start living in its Golden Age. The Metal-Heads were all but extinct, the last bits of corruption left by Praxis had been expelled, and Jak was finally living in peace.  
  
Jak and Keria were living at the palace with Ashelin and Torn. Ashelin was the governor of the city and held executive power firmly in her hands. Torn was the captain of the Krimson Guard and had been using them in offensive strikes against the remaining Metal-Head locations. But Jak and Keria had a more complicated time ahead of them. Everyone knew that The Kid was the true heir to the city's throne and, although Ashelin and Torn tried to keep it under wraps, since Jak was The Kid's older form people had started to demand that Jak rule. Jak didn't want the throne and wouldn't take it. He refused to wield any form of power but did finally take the position of king. He was merely a figure-head but he could be used by Ashelin to force into policy things she wanted done. With Jak beside her she could do anything.  
  
Ashelin's first priority was to get the city's supply of eco back up. Praxis had been giving all the reserve eco stores to the Metal-Heads and the city's stockpiles were gone. That being said I'll start the story where it started, at the Drill Platform.  
  
Steve and Hank had the most boring jobs in the city. There job was to monitor the huge drills at the drill platform. Nothing interesting ever happened. But one day the dusty warning light began to flash and the same dull low hum of the drill became a loud screech. "Ah Mar," said Hank. "What the hell happened?" he asked Steve. Steve was looking at a monitor which showed the drill in its eternal churning. Apparently the drill had struck something harder than the rock they were extracting eco from. "Damnit," exclaimed Steve. "The fuckin' drills' stuck on something." "You kidding?" asked Hank. "That drill'll cut through anything." "Well it ain't cutting through this." said Steve pointing to the screen. The smaller drills had cut away the debris around the object and it appeared to be some sort of container. "We'd better check this out," said Steve. "This could be some serious shit." Hank sighed but followed him.  
  
They took a lift that ran down next to the drill and was to be used for situations like this. The two men stepped out and withdrew their laser cutting tools. The "lid" of the container was very large and very thick. It was painstaking work but eventually they got the lid to give way slightly. Inside they saw a dark liquid. It was... "Eco?" said Steve. "Is that eco?" "Yeah," said Hank. "It has to be."  
  
The two took several pictures of this and sent them to Ashelin. Usually the only reports they gave to the palace were the quarterly quotas but now something very interesting had come. They had just found an unlimited supply of eco; the city would never need to mine again. They were going to be heroes. Or were they? 


	2. The King's Reaction

Jak, although he held the title of king, was a figure-head. His picture was plastered all over town. His gun had been put in the Haven City museum and all of the schoolbooks were being reprinted to include a chapter on him. He hated all the publicity, he hated people giving him side-long glances but he hated the tedious meetings and conferences in the palace that protocol required him to attend the most. Today he was at one of those meetings trying as hard as he could to stay awake. The only slightly interesting piece of information was the number of artillery guns the Krimson Guard had stationed around the city. This meeting was longer than the others due to a discovery at the Drill Platform.  
  
"The last order of business is to approve the termination of all mining operations." said Ashelin  
  
Jak's ears perked up at this. The mining operations were the only way that the city was going to be able to produce eco. "Why are the operations being terminated?" asked Jak. He rarely spoke during meetings but most of the ministers seemed to be wondering the same things.  
  
"Two of the miners ran into this the other day." Ashelin slid a file folder full of documents and pictures towards Jak. He flipped through all of the files and pulled out the pictures. A brass colored container, about 60 feet in diameter was sticking out of the rocks. The next photo showed the digging around the container how they uncovered more and more of the container. Finally the last photo showed the entire container itself. Jak went white and he shook as he saw what he had seen in his nightmares before they went through the rift. The Dark Eco silos.  
  
"They're calling it the Eco Silo." said Ashelin, showing the other ministers bigger pictures on a projection screen. "Our test results show that with that much eco we can keep the city running at full capacity for over 100 years." This got rounds of encouragement from the ministers. But Jak wasn't listening.  
  
His body was still in the palace but his mind was 200 years in he past. He remembered when he was only 16 how he had stood on top of that silo as Gol and Mia tried to open it. How he had finally destroyed their robot and they had been trapped inside the silo. Samos was convinced that they had died. Jak tried to believe it too but he knew they were alive, he knew that they had been so corrupted by Dark Eco that it could never have killed them.  
  
"So if there are no objections," began Ashelin. "I'll draft the orders to shut down all further mining operations and get people to open that silo."  
  
Hearing this Jak was snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry Ashelin." said Jak, standing up. "But I can't allow that."  
  
"And why is that?" asked Ashelin, looking shocked.  
  
"You as governor have every right to do as you please to work in the best interest of the city, but I cannot let you open the Silo."  
  
"Jak," she said, trying to control her anger. "I am working in the best interest of the city and that Silo is opening and that's final."  
  
Jak was king and everyone knew it but they also knew he had no real power. But he snapped anyway. Jak was this close to changing into Dark Jak to make Ashelin "see reason" but instead he flipped the table and screamed. "FINE! GO AHEAD OPEN IT! JUST DON'T EXPECT ME TO SAVE YOUR ASSES AGAIN!" With that Jak strode out of the palace.  
  
He didn't know where his feet were taking him until he reached the door of the Naughty Ottsel. He decided that Daxter had to know. He walked in and sat down at the bar. "Hey your highness," said Tess, jokingly. "What can I get you?" "Nothing," he said glumly. "Where's Dax?" "Right here buddy," said the Ottsel as he popped up from behind the bar. "What's happening at the palace?" "Oh nothing much," said Jak. "The Krimson Guard developing some new guns, the property tax is rising," Daxter popped a bottle and began to drink. "And they're going to open the Dark Eco Silo." Daxter sprayed the liquid everywhere. "WHAT!" "Some miners found it last week. And now Ashelin's going to open the sucker and get the eco out." "But if they open it..." started Daxter. "Gol and Mia." finished Jak. "But Samos said they're dead." said Daxter. "Yeah," said Jak. "But Samos wasn't fighting them; Samos wasn't getting shot at and chased all over the silo. They lived Dax, they lived and if they had dark eco to a point they could control it then they're still alive, and if they're alive they haven't forgotten me." "What're we gonna do Jak?" asked Daxter panicking. The little Ottsel was running up the walls, literally. "I don't know Dax," sighed Jak. "I just don't know." 


	3. The Debate

(((Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. I'm kind of making this up as I go along so all of your ideas help)))  
  
Ashelin was going through hell. The only reason she had been able to keep Haven under her belt was because of Jak. The people didn't want to follow Ashelin but as long as Jak's signature was on something the people followed it and agreed that it, whatever it was, was a wise decision. But now Jak wasn't behind her and things were not going to be easy.  
  
Jak was at the gun range. He had been all day shooting down the targets he saw. He had set all the records on all the courses at every difficulty level. Sig was watching him through the communicator. "That's kid's gone nuts." said Sig as Jak started the Peace Maker course again. Sig turned to Keria who had been at the bar all day waiting for Jak to return from the palace. "What's the big deal about that silo anyway?" Keria sighed. She knew that people would start to ask questions, questions that she did not want to answer. "Before we found the rift that brought us here we were on a journey to find Gol, the sage of Dark Eco." She looked at Daxter but he was too busy trying to impress Tess by playing the Metal-Head Mash 'em game. "The reason Daxter doesn't look like me or Jak is because he fell into a pool of Dark Eco and we had hoped that Gol could change him back. But when we found him, he and his sister Mia had been corrupted by Dark Eco and were using a Precursor robot to open the Silo. If it was opened the world would be flooded with the evil energy and reshaped forever." Keria sighed and rested her head in her hands. She didn't tell Sig about Jak's fight. That was a memory that she did not want to relive if she could help it.  
  
"They must've done a number on him." said Sig turning his view back to Jak as he left the gun range. "Just don't bring it up when he gets back." said Keria.  
  
Ashelin stuck her head into the bar. "Damn," she said. "Where's Jak?" "Right here." said a voice behind her. "What do you want?" "Look," she began. "You were out of order in the palace but so was I. As much as I like or dislike it you're the one the people follow and if you're not behind me 100% then I can't do anything without facing a revolt." "So what do you want?" asked Jak. "Why don't you want the Silo opened?" Jak sighed and then told Ashelin the whole story. He told her everything from Daxter's incident on Misty Island to the Light Eco he absorbed. After his tale he looked up at Ashelin, she laughed. "You can't expect me to believe that."  
  
Jak snapped up, grabbed Ashelin and slammed her to the wall. A few bolts of Dark Eco shot out of him. He wasn't in the mood to take any shit from anyone. "I told you the truth you tattooed bit-..." "Ashelin the boy is right." said another voce. It was Samos. "Gol and Mia were trapped in the silo long ago and opening would only cause them to wreck havoc." Ashelin pushed away from Jak and faced Samos. "It true then?" Jak rolled his eyes. "Sure you'll believe Samos but not me." "Samos doesn't flip out on people when he's mad and kill hundreds of innocent civilians." "But," said Samos. "The Silo must still be opened." "WHAT!" screamed Jak with more bolts of Dark Eco shooting out of him. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE STILL HAVE TO OPEN IT! AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO REMEMBERS WHAT THEY WERE LIKE LAST TIME?!?" "Jak," sighed Samos. "If we do not open the Silo we may never know if they have been destroyed."  
  
Ashelin nodded and she and Samos walked off towards the palace leaving Jak behind them yelling. "THAT'S IT THEN? YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO DO IT?!?" They kept walking, ignoring him. "SAMOS!!" he called. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! SAMOS!!!" 


	4. The Opening

Jak did not want to get out of bed. Today was the day that the city had been waiting for. Today was the day that the Silo was going to be opened. The sunlight was pouring through his shut eye-lids as Keria began nagging him.  
  
"Look Jak," said Keria, putting some jewelry on in the mirror of the bathroom. "I don't want this to happen any more than you do but Ashelin's made up her mind."  
  
"Ugh." Was the only reply she got from the lump under the covers. She couldn't answer before he spoke. "You know what they're going to do Keria." He said sitting up. "You know what they're unleashing."  
  
"Jak," she said, walking to the bed. "Maybe things aren't as bad as you think they will be."  
  
"You didn't fight them Keria." said Jak, not looking at her. "You don't know what it was like."  
  
"But Father said..." began Keria.  
  
"FATHER SAID?!" yelled Jak standing up. "FATHER SAID THIS, FATHER SAID THAT! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT SAMOS SAID!" He took a deep breath and went on. "SAMOS WASN'T RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE ON TOP OF AN IMPOSSIBLY HIGH TOWER FOR AN HOUR WITH A HUGE ROBOT SHOOTING AT HIM. SAMOS DIDN'T HAVE THEIR VOICES RINGING IN HIS HEAD FOR WEEKS AFTERWARD!"  
  
He slumped back onto the bed and buried his face in his hands. When he came up his eyes were filled with an emotion that Keria had never seen in them, fear.  
  
"I'm scared Keria." said Jak. "They didn't die, they're still there and they won't have forgotten me."  
  
Before either of them could speak they heard the door open and saw Torn's head in the doorway.  
  
"Are you two coming?" he asked in his gravely voice.  
  
"Yeah," sighed Jak. "We'll be there in a minute."  
  
"Torn nodded his head and disappeared.  
  
Keria walked to the door and turned around seeing Jak walk to the closet. He opened the door and knelt down and Keria saw him strap on a long leather belt. On that belt was his morph-gun and JET-Board.  
  
"Jak..." said Keria in an annoyed voice. "You're not taking your gun."  
  
"The hell I'm not." said Jak.  
  
Keria just sighed and rolled her eyes, there was no point in arguing with him.  
  
The two strode outside and climbed into the Hellcat Torn had waiting and they flew to the palace. When they reached the palace, Samos, Ashelin, Daxter, Tess and Sig were already there. Apparently they were to be guests of honor and the opening ceremony. Jak didn't say anything to anybody as he boarded the transport, protocol gave him the seat in the front with the driver and he took it. It was a long miserable flight to the Silo and the entire time the tension was so high you could taste it. Everyone knew that if they pushed Jak the slightest bit they'd all be dead.  
  
Finally, after an hour of flight they reached the Drill Platform and Jak saw with his own eyes the Dark Eco Silo. It was virtually unchanged but that didn't help anything. He remembered well the Precursor Robot flying above it shooting its laser at the crack in the top. He remembered well the pain and suffering he endured at the top of it and here he was going there again. The crusier stopped at a platform and they filed out. Jak stepped in front of Ashelin before she got out.  
  
"I'm just letting you know," he said, making sure she could see his gun. "That you get to be the one to explain to the city why hell has been unleashed."  
  
"Are you threatening me?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, I am." he said. And with that he walked onto the platform and stood in the corner leaning against a railing, his arms crossed across his chest, hiding the Seal of Marr Amulet his younger self had given him. He thought about him, he wondered what he was doing in his timeline, what he was fulfilling then and if he had the slightest clue as to what would befall him.  
  
The hour had come, half the city was present at the Drill Platform and the other half was watching at their homes. Ashelin stood at the front and spoke.  
  
"My people," she began. "Today is the day the Silo will be opened and our civilization will be introduced to the height of it's time!"  
  
A roar of cheers went up from the crowd. 'Poor fools,' thought Jak. 'The idiots don't even know what they're getting themselves into.'  
  
Jak turned his gaze to the Silo and saw the drill bearing above it. He turned to Ashelin who made eye contact with him for a bit before she gave the signal and the drill began to turn. As it began its decent downward something happened to Jak. He began laughing.  
  
"Stop it Ashelin," he laughed. "Stop it before it's too late." Almost in slow motion the Drill piereced the top of the Silo. The Precursor metal began to dissolve and before Jak could believe it the top of the Silo was opened, fully. 


	5. The Return of the Sages

Jak was merely gazing opened mouth at the Silo. It was opened. All that he had gone through so long ago was wasted, all of it thrown down the drain. He was mad and everyone knew what happened to Jak when he got mad. His breathing got heavy and a few bolts of Dark Eco shot from him but before anything drastic could happen Keria rested her hand on his shoulder.  
  
Ashelin and Torn were the first people who went up to the edge of the Silo. They were merely staring down into it Jak noticed and nothing unusual was happening. Dark Eco wasn't pouring out twisting everything it touched. Something was wrong. Jak slowly walked up to them.  
  
"What's the prob-...?" said Jak staring down into the Silo himself. He just stared in awe and wonder, it was empty.  
  
"Samos!" yelled Jak, not tearing his gaze away from the bottomless pit. "We have a situation over here."  
  
"What's the prob-...? GREAT YAKOW BONES!" yelled the Green Sage. "It's all gone!"  
  
Daxter hopped on some shoulders and landed finally on Torn's. "But... but.... Who... what... where... when... why?!"  
  
Before they could answer thought they heard a chilling voice behind them, one Jak had only twice before, one that belonged to Jak's most feared enemy. Gol. "Don't act so surprised, Samos. You knew it was inevitable..."  
  
Jak, Daxter, Torn and Ashelin all spun around and saw him. Gol, the sage of Dark Eco was hovering above them. The two hundred year imprisonment had not been kind to him. His hair and beard were no longer flowing but very haggard. His skin was burned and scorched and burned in many places, and his robes were reduced to torn rags.  
  
"Gol?" said Samos in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Surely you didn't think we were dead Samos." aid another voice, female this time. "You must've known that Dark Eco couldn't harm us anymore."  
  
Jak snapped. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST DIE?"  
  
"Watch your cheek, boy." said Gol evilly. "All will be made clear soon enough." Gol turned and studied the faces before him.  
  
"Hmm..." muttered Maia. "Samos you're here and so is your spawn," she said shooting a look at Keria. "And the furry one also... Who are we missing?"  
  
Jak stepped forward again.  
  
"Looking for me?" he asked.  
  
Gol and Maia studied him for a bit and then Gol burst out laughing.  
  
"It's you isn't it!" he wailed pointing at him. "You destroyed our robot and damned us to that prison."  
  
"Yeah," Jak said crossing his arms and subtly gripping the handle of his gun, already in Peace-Maker mode. "Come to thank me?"  
  
"Very the contrary," said Maia. "After we deal with your precious city we'll deal with you."  
  
"I have a better idea," said Jak slowly pulling his gun out and charging it. "Let's make peace."  
  
And with that Jak fed a Peace-Maker shot into each of them The electricity sizzled over them as it always did with Metal-Heads he shot but when it stopped nothing had happened.  
  
"You didn't honestly think that toy could do anything to us." laughed Gol. "Dark Eco has given us power greater than we could imagine. And soon we will show that beauty to the world."  
  
"Oh please," shot Daxter. "Not that crap again. We kicked your asses last time you tried the whole 'enlighten the world' crap."  
  
"Ah but this time," said Maia gesturing towards the Wastelands. "We have something more powerful than mere Lurkers to help us."  
  
The group tore their gaze from the two Sages to the Wastelands. I wasn't the dark mountainous regions they had seen before. Now it was swimming in a sea of gold, the gold was Metal-Heads skull gems.  
  
"We'll give you four days to prepare your defenses before we strike." said Gol. He turned to Jak.  
  
"I hope you enjoyed your life so far because in four days it'll be over."  
  
But before he could fly off Jak grabbed his beard and pulled his face close to his.  
  
"Make my day..." he sneered.  
  
Gol spat at his feet and he and Maia flew down into the Silo, down into darkness. The six looked at each other until finally Torn spoke.  
  
"What do we do now?" 


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

Ashelin was pacing back and forth in the palace with Torn, Sig and Jak in front of her.  
  
"What're we supposed to do now?" she said to no one in particular. "Our scouts estimate the army is at least 500,000 strong."  
  
"500,000!" said Torn. "How is that possible?"  
  
"Easy," said Jak. "We leave the Wastelands alone for a year they're bound to mount a resistance."  
  
"But Kor's gone," said Torn. "They can't organize anything sensible. They won't have the brains to run for it when we star shooting."  
  
"But with Gol and Maia," Jak shot. "They'll be the smartest army we've ever seen."  
  
"But you took Gol before didn't you?" asked Sig. "You can waste him again."  
  
"It's not that easy," said Jak turning to the window and watching the sea of gold now plainly visible over the Wastelands. "Last time I had Light Eco" he said quietly.  
  
"Uh Jak," said Ashelin. "I know eco was more easily usable back before but Light Eco didn't exist, it's a myth."  
  
"How many times," asked Jak. "Ashelin to you have to screw up before you believe me?"  
  
Ashelin continued. "Jak," she said. "We've looked for Light Eco, we haven't found any evidence of it anywhere. In all the books on Precursor lore there are not once has Light Eco been mentioned except in children's tales."  
  
"Light Eco exists." said Jak brimming with anger. "I've seen it, I've used it."  
  
"You've used it?" she said skeptically.  
  
"Yeah," said Jak. "Yeah, I've used it."  
  
"Is that how you defeated them the first time?" she said.  
  
"Yeah," said Jak simply.  
  
"Okay, Jak," she said. "I'll talk to Samos and see if there's anything we can do, but in the meantime we've got to figure out how to repel half a million Metal-Heads."  
  
"It's futile Ashelin." said Torn. "There's nothing we can do to stop them, they'll overwhelm us in a few hours." "Well what can we do then?" asked Sig. He had been silent the whole meeting. "I don't know about you but those bastards aren't touching this city without going through me first."  
  
"I'll tell you what to do." said Jak turning around. "Torn, you get as many men as you can patrolling the walls at all hours, double shifts. Sig, you and the Wastelanders go with them and I want your guns warm at all times. I'll go to the Weapons Factory and get some heavy guns." Jak scanned the room looking at everyone. "MOVE!" he yelled. "NOW!"  
  
The two ran out of the room and Jak followed leaving Ashelin a bit shocked that he had just gone over her head like that.  
  
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Jak went out side and jogged down to the Naughty Ottsel and got his Zoomer. He tore off across the water and went to the Air Train.  
  
"Where to?" the driver said.  
  
"Weapons Factory, step on it." Jak sat down as the cruiser shot up towards the factory.  
  
The ride was short and Jak flipped the guy a couple of credits for his trouble. He walked up the hills and slid his pass into the door. The doors hissed opened and Jak walked in.  
  
The Weapon Factory was no longer crawling with Krimson Guard and was actually a weapon factory. KG guns and armor were being churned out at an amazing rate, tons of new chemical and biological weapons were being made but Jak wasn't looking for things like that. He was going for the heavy weapons, the artillery weapons being tested and produced. Jak walked down a few hallways and finally to a red door with two Krimson Elite in front of it.  
  
"Boys." said Jak nodding and patiently waited for them to open the door. Those two guards were the only two people who had passkeys that would open that door, a rule that Jak had implemented himself. Nothing was happening; Jak cleared his throat, still nothing. "Look," he said. "Open the doors now."  
  
"Sorry, sir" said one. "Nev has asked that no one disturb him, sir."  
  
Jak sighed. Nev was more of a paranoid than Vin was. Nev was chosen to replace Vin but Jak had soon noticed that his skills would be better used here.  
  
"Look guys." said Jak. "Nev would want me to disturb him now open the doors."  
  
The door came open and Nev stood in the doorway. "What's all the—Jak?" asked Nev  
  
"Hello Nev," Jak said. "I was trying to come in to see you but your boys were being difficult."  
  
"Sorry boss." said one. "But you said you didn't want no visiotors.."  
  
"Never mind." said Nev. "Just don't let it happen again."  
  
Jak walked into the room with Nev. There were computer screens everywhere and dozens of consoles and other techno junk Jak didn't even want to know what was in them.  
  
"I'm sure you've heard the reports?" asked Jak.  
  
"Yeah," said Nev. "I know. They shouldn't hit here though, plenty of higher priority areas around right, RIGHT!" he was getting worked up.  
  
"Calm down, Nev." said Jak. He was typing away at one of the computers he actually understood. "I need a lot of whatever can do the most damage in the shortest amount of time." He stopped at an impressive looking machine gun. It had ten barrels like a gattling gun and looked like a severely oversized Vulcan Fury.  
  
"What's this?" asked Jak pointing to the screen. Nev smiled and Jak could almost see him swell up with pride.  
  
"That," he said. "Is the Vulcan-Peace gun." 


	7. The Golden Sea

"You there," yelled Torn. "Take five men to the Stadium wall."

"Man that turret soldier and keep the barrel warm." yelled Jak.

Commands like this were being flung through the city walls as the fourth day dawned. Jak, Torn and Sig had been left in charge of commanding the soldiers. The KG had all been issued normal Blaster Guns seeing as how they were much more powerful than the normal KG guns. The entire perimeter of the city was constantly being patrolled by KG and Wastelanders. Every fifty yards there were turrets much like the ones Jak used at the Drill Platform and were manned by a KG at all times. On every corner there were huge assault cannons that could blow a small hole in the Metal Head Nest. And finally every 500 yards there was a Vulcan Peace Cannon. This gun was exactly what it sounded like. It fired Peace Maker shots every tenth of a second, the same speed as the Vulcan Fury. Jak smiled to himself as he remember testing the one at the Weapon Factory

_Flashback:_

"_Okay," said Jak out on the testing grounds. "How does this thing work?"_

"_Very simple," answered Nev. "All you do is put your target in this crosshair," he said indicating the small glass screen in front of the gun. "And pull the trigger."_

_Nev had captured some of the ugliest, smelliest and foulest Metal-Heads Jak had ever seen. Jak didn't know how seeing as how Nev was a bigger coward than Vin but decided not to think about that. Instead he decided to try out his new "toy"._

_Jak put the Metal-Head in his cross-hairs and pulled the trigger. The barrel began spinning and making a horrendous noise as round after round of fully charged Peace-Maker shots came hurling out of the gun! When the dust cleared the hugest Metal-Heads the Wasteland could offer were laying on the ground...dead, nothing more than a smoldering heap of blood and Dark-Eco. _

_Nev looked and Jak and said. "Well?"_

_Jak smiled and looked down at him. "I want as many as you can get in three days."_

As soon as the sun had risen over the mountains Jak, Torn, Sig and every other soldier on the walls felt the same feeling. Fear. Sure they had tons of weapons and nearly an infinite supply of ammo but unless the Metal-Heads we're going to be insanely dumb, well they all knew what would happen.

Jak took out his binoculars and looked out over the areas around the city. On the highest magnification he could see ranks and ranks of Metal-Heads marching towards the city. They all seemed to be carrying Dark Eco guns and none of them seemed ready to back down.

The men were nervous, a few of them threw up and one or so seemed ready to faint as the army got nearer and nearer but the endless lines seemed to have no end. Finally it seemed that all 500,000 Metal-Heads were surrounding the city. Jak took out his communicator and called Torn.

"They in range yet Torn?" he asked, not tearing his gaze away from the army.

"Yeah," he said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You know it," said Jak, he then turned his comm on to everybody. They had all been given comm units. "What're you waiting for?!" yelled Jak. "Let the bastards have it!" No sooner had words come out of Jak's mouth when the combined sounds of artillery guns, Blaster guns and Metal-Heads and human screams filled the air. The Wastelander had pretty much taken the Vulcan Peace guns and were showering the Metal-Heads with the shells. The humans had taken the Metal-Heads by surprise and had begun slaughtering them like roaches under a blow-torch.

The battle had been going on for about an hour and the piles of dead Metal-Heads were steadily rising out they had caused very few causalities to the humans. Around 5,000 Metal-Heads had died while maybe 20 humans had been claimed. The soldiers were encouraged but Jak was worried. Gol and Maia were smarter than this. They wouldn't just try to overwhelm them with numbers. Jak was right. Scanning back into the depths of the army he noticed that dozens of Metal-Heads were holding shields and carrying something. Jak watched them until he saw that they were stacking containers of Dark Eco against the walls. With the shields protecting them they couldn't stop the Metal-Heads and it was too risky to shoot the barrels. Jak didn't know what to do.

"Sig!" he yelled into his comm unit. "Get over here now!!"

In a few moments Sig was at his side and Jak pointed to the mounds of crates and the line of Metal-Heads carrying even more.

"What the hell are they doing?" yelled Sig. "That much eco'll..."

"I know," yelled Jak, desperately shooting at the Metal-Heads but it was useless. Then Jak saw the Metal-Head lines split and at the end of the split there was a Rhino Metal-Head running straight at the barrels with a torch in his mouth.

"BRING HIM DOWN SIG!" screamed Jak. Sig charged up his Peace-Maker and shot but the shot seemed to do nothing. "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" yelled Jak, Sig shot again but it was futile. Jak saw the rhino jump right into the barrels...


	8. The Breached Wall

"GET BACK!!!" yelled Jak to all the soldiers. "GET OFF THE WALL!" Luckily they were in the port sections so it was about a 20 foot jump into deep water. The men were already jumping as the wall blew. Jak didn't jump in time and was knocked out by the force of the explosion.

Thankfully, the water in the port was stopping the Metal-Heads from swarming in immediately...

Back in the Palace Ashelin was watching the battle both from the windows and from cameras placed all around the walls. The Metal-Heads were hitting the entire city like a freight train but the Port was getting hit the hardest. The Metal-Heads were relentlessly pounding away at that section. The men had, with the help of the artillery guns, all but decimated the Metal-Heads groups attacking the other sections of the city but at the Port the Metal-Heads were showing no signs of weakness. Suddenly, the three cameras she had viewing the Port blazed with static and she dashed to the window just in time to see the hole blow in the wall. She stood there eyes wide and mouth open for a few moments until she got a hold of herself.

"Torn!" she yelled. "Torn, what the hell's going on?!?"

"Oh hi Ashelin," yelled Torn sarcastically. The sounds of a fierce firefight in the background almost drowned out his voice. "Nothing's happening over here, the Metal-Heads just blew a big fuckin' hole in the wall and in ten seconds are gonna make us all dead but we're fine... how are you??"

"Don't worry Torn," said Ashelin. "I'm sending some reinforcements to help out."

"Oh no," said the old warrior. "Why would I worry?"

Ashelin cut off the comm link and pushed another button on her comm unit to the Hellcat barracks.

"Locke," she said. Locke was the commander of the Hurricane Hellcat Division. "Locke get your best men down to the Port, you'll know what to do."

"Got it Governess." aid Locke over the comm. "Let's go ladies Hellcats in twenty!"

Jak was on the ground, alone, in front of a huge group of Metal-Heads only 50 feet away.

'So this is it?' thought Jak looking up. 'Here like this?' No, no he would not die this way if they were going to kill him they were going to have to earn it. He reached for his gun but saw that he was out of ammo. He slowly forced himself up, he was out of weapons but he was not going to die lying on the ground, he was going to die facing them with every ounce of strength he had. He was king after all and they were not going to take his city without getting through him. He was going to die here and he knew it and so did the Metal-Heads and Gol and Maia knew it from wherever they were watching. As the faces of the two sages filled his mind he was filled with a rage he had never felt. He got mad... really mad.

Jak breathing started to get heavy and bolts of dark eco began shooting from him. He looked at his arms; he felt his muscle growing and his bones expanding. His skin was turning purple and his hair was going white. His pupils filled his eyes and his hands and feet turned into claws and finally his teeth multiplied and sharpened. Now he had all the energy in the world. Jak was gone, only Dark Jak remained and Dark Jak had been away for a long time and he was hungry, and those Metal-Heads looked tasty.

Dark Jak roared and began swiping at the Metal-Heads cutting down five to ten with every swipe. He was on the rampage. He was nearly as tall as the wall in his Dark Giant form and none of the Metal-Heads were going to get through him. From his height he could see reinforcement Metal-Heads coming in from both sides. The Metal-Heads had somehow known to pull away and try to force there way through this monster but what they didn't know was that Dark Jak had been created to stop Metal-Heads attacks, his sole purpose was to be able to single handedly kill mass amounts of Metal-Heads which is exactly what he did. Dark Jak used the two side of the wall to force himself into the air and brought down his fist right in the center of the Metal-Head force. The effects of his Dark Bomb eradicated nearly all of the Metal-Heads left but it also drained Dark Jak and Jak of his energy. Jak stood for a moment in the middle of a pile of dead metal-Heads and then collapsed...


	9. The Planning

When Jak awoke he was in a hospital room, covered in bandages. It was late at night and the green sun was high in the night sky. There was a news terminal and several chairs and a couch in his room. No one was in the chairs but Keria's sleeping form was on the couch. He tried to get up but his back hurt too much. He had no memory of what he had done as Dark Jak but that wasn't surprising. Anytime he went Dark of his own accord he knew what he was doing even if he couldn't completely control it but when sheer rage and anger overcame him it was like he had passed out. He turned on the news terminal; he switched off the sound and turned on the closed captioning so that he would not wake Keria.

The reporter on the screen was talking to Torn and Sig:

Reporter: So what happened after the wall was destroyed?

Torn: When the wall blew the Metal-Heads tried to make a push but with the water rushing out they were hindered. It was several minutes before they could come through. All of our men had been pulled safely back except for one.

Sig: The Metal-Heads started rushing in and we were ready to just blast the hell out of anything that moved until one of our soldiers identified the lone soldier as Jak.

Jak immediately turned on the sound, he needed to see this the best he could. Someone had filmed the entire episode of his rampage.

He watched from a onlooker's point of view as he saw himself stand up and change. He saw himself cut down Metal-Heads like a blowtorch through butter. He saw himself kill everything in sight and he saw himself leap and use the Dark Bomb, taught by the Oracle, to send a shockwave through the Metal-Heads.

Torn: As you can see, Jak destroyed a large portion of the army with his Dark Bomb attack but some still remained.

Seeing all this was filling Jak with a sickening feeling. The video then showed what happened after his rampage. The Metal-Heads crashed into him. He disappeared under them for only a second before several dozen KG Hellcats flew in and began just cutting the rest of the Metal-Heads to pieces.

Part of it made him feel good that he easily held off a large portion the Metal-Heads but another was making him feel sick. He knew his Dark self was strong but seeing the wanton destruction he caused made him disgusted with himself. He wasn't sorry for the Metal-Heads, heavens no. But seeing himself like that seeing what he had done a year ago. What he had done when the KG overpowered him, what he had done when his rage took him over and his blood lust had to be filled.

"It's not your fault Jak," said a voice. "You did nothing wrong." It was Keria. She had woken up and was now by his bed.

"Look at me though Keria." said Jak pointing to the screen. "That what happens to me when I get angry, you said it yourself. I change."

Keria looked like he had just slapped her and she almost began to cry.

"Oh God Keria," Jak said when he realized what he had done to her. "I didn't... I didn't mean..."

"Jak," she sobbed. "I said that a year ago can't you just let it go! You didn't mean to me what you do now. I thought that what they had done to you had made it impossible for you to love me or anything ever again."

"Keria," he said again. "Please, please stop crying I'm sorry."

She looked up, her eyes red and puffy. "I know." she said. "I know."

They kissed.

(((Gol and Maia's Citadel)))

"Isn't that sweet?" sneered Gol. He was staring into a crystal ball like thing watching Jak and Keria in the hospital. "He really cares for her."

"She's his weak link," answered Maia. "She's the one we can use as bait."

"Of course, dear sister." said Gol, not looking away from the ball. "But there is no way we can separate them, he is constantly at her side."

"But there must be some way to separate them, short of killing the other of course."

"I know that!" spat Gol. "He'd follow her into hell, kick the devil in the balls and waltz out with her in hand."

"Well then you think of something!" shrieked Maia.

"I will," said Gol turning back to his glowing ball. "And when I do you'll wish you had never been born, Jak!"


	10. He'll never rest

Jak was discharged from the hospital in another week. His wounds were fully healed much sooner but the doctors still wanted him to stay. The dark eco, that the tape proved, was still coursing through his veins and it sealed his cuts and scrapes without any lasting scars. Keria stayed with him through the whole thing. Jak was glad she was there with him.

Keria knew that Gol and Maia would want to use her as bait for a trap to lure Jak into. Keria knew that if she was ever taken Jak would go after her in a second, but she also knew that to get to her someone would have to go through Jak and that just wasn't going to happen. Still, everywhere Jak went Keria went and everywhere she went Jak went. No one was going to keep Jak away from her, if anyone tried too, and a few stupidly did, all he had to do was ask them if they had seen the tape of him. Those words got Jak clearance to anywhere.

Today Jak was back at the palace. Only Torn, Sig, Keria, and Samos were there with Jak and Ashelin. They were discussing what had to happen now. Sig had several of the best Wastelanders guard the breached wall until the "techno geeks" as he called them could get that part of the eco grid back online with the rest of the city.

Torn was all for chasing Gol and Maia down and launching a full scale assault on their citadel.

"We'll never have this same kind of momentum," Torn argued. "Morale is at an all time high, our troops are eager for combat. Why not assault them?"

Sig was with him.

"He's got a point. My boys are ready to start bashing some heads."

Jak wasn't listening to them. He was staring into the Wastelands, knowing their citadel was hiding there somewhere. He had had a lot of time to think lately and he had guessed Gol's mind. That battle wasn't a battle to take the city. No. Jak knew that that battle was for him. Gol and Maia knew that they themselves couldn't capture Jak alive so they decided to try and bring him in that way but that had failed.

"There's no hope of success if we try to directly assault them." said Jak simply. "We're not nearly strong enough."

"Are you nuts?" asked Ashelin. "Half a million Metal-Heads just tried to raze this city to the ground and all that happened was a hole in one wall."

"That wasn't a fight for the city. Those Metal-Heads weren't after the city, they were after me."

Everyone stared at Jak with silence but they understood that he had guessed Gol's mind.

"Gol isn't going to be frightened by our victory. He'll never rest until I'm dead." He sighed and went on. "200 years ago he tried to open the Silos; he had spent his entire life trying to, finding all the parts of and, building a Precursor robot. And then finally, when it seemed like he couldn't fail I destroyed everything he had worked for. He hasn't forgotten that, he never will. It won't matter what it costs him, he won't stop until I'm dead."

"So what do we do?" asked Ashelin. "If he has another army like that up his sleeve, we're done."

"I don't know Ashelin..." said Jak. "I just don't know."

"You're going to have to fight them again aren't you?" asked a timid Keria. Her eyes were not moving from Jak. She didn't see the darkness in them that everyone else saw. She saw the boy she had had a crush on in Sandover, the boy who didn't say much, the boy who saved them the last time.

Jak turned to look at Keria. She was all he cared about in this damned city. She was all he ever cared about. Anything he had done was for her. Even when he and Daxter had snuck off to Misty Island, that was just to try and impress her.

"Yes," he said. "The only way this can end is by one of us killing the other."

The room was silent for a while. They knew that Jak was right but, even if they would never admit it, they were scared for him. Each of them knew that whatever happened they would need Jak in one way or another but the also knew that only Jak could end this.

"I have to see someone." said Jak. He turned his back and walked away. Keria ran to follow him.

"Where are you going?" she asked. "You're not running off to face him are you?"

"Not yet," he said. "I have to see the Oracle."


	11. The Concidence

The Oracle. The last remnants of the Precursors left on earth. The thing that had helped Jak so much helped him gain Power Cells long ago and who had given him his Dark Powers, But Jak wasn't visiting the Oracle for power, he was looking for answers.  
  
"Look Keria," said Jak as they arrived at the, now deserted, Water Slums. "I don't know what's going to happen in there but you can't come with me."  
  
"What?" she said. "Why not?"  
  
"Because of might be said or done." He took a deep breath. "The reason I can do these things when I'm DarkJak is because of the Oracle and whenever I visit him I become DarkJak but it's like the times when I can't control myself and I don't want you getting hurt because of me."  
  
"But Jak…" said Keria with sadness in her eyes. "What could possibly happen?"  
  
"I don't know," said Jak turning towards the door. "But I don't want you to find out." He opened the door and walked inside.  
  
The Oracle was at the back of the room. Jak walked to it and stood before it.  
  
Greetings brave warrior. What council do you seek?  
  
"Can I stop him?" asked Jak. He didn't need to say who.  
  
His hatred for you burns brighter than the fires of hell. He will not stop until you are dead at his hands.  
  
"You didn't answer my question." said Jak.  
  
You alone cannot stop him.  
  
"Dark Jak can though, right?" said Jak.  
  
Yes.  
  
"Figures," Jak muttered. "What is he?" asked Jak. "There's no way he can be a man anymore."  
  
He is you.  
  
"What?" said Jak in disbelief. "He's me?"  
  
He is your opposite, your negative, the result of the universe trying to balance itself.  
  
"If I can kill him," asked Jak. "Will the wars finally end, will it be over?"  
  
With those words the Oracle shot a blast of Dark Eco into Jak as he had done four times before.  
  
Everything that has a beginning has an end Jak. I see the end coming, I see the darkness spreading and you are all that stands in his way. If you cannot stop him tonight I fear tomorrow will never come.  
  
Jak collapsed to the ground as he always did and a new feeling of power was surging through him. The Oracle had given him another Dark Power.  
  
I grant you the final Dark Power.  
  
"You already gave it to me." said Jak. "Didn't you?"  
  
Had I given you this power before you're mind and body were balanced it would've torn you apart in rage, hate and fear.  
  
Jak bowed to the Oracle and left the building.  
  
There was something wrong though. The place was still deserted and that was the problem. Keria wasn't there.  
  
"Keria!" said Jak. "Keria!, Keria!! KERIA!!!"  
  
'Oh Mar,' thought Jak. 'Why the hell didn't I let her come with me what the hell was I thinking?' Then he saw it. It wasn't very visible but it was there. A hole in the bottom of the water, a tunnel.  
  
"No," said Jak, his eyes wide in disbelief. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."  
  
(((Keria's Point of View.)))  
  
Jak had gone in the building and Keria was feeling a bit hurt. Jak had told her what had happened to him with the Oracle before and he was right, she didn't want to see that but he only wanted information this time. She sighed. Ten minutes passed.  
  
Keria was staring into the water, the Water Slums, that's what this place was called. She looked across the region to Brutter's hut. She remembered the stories about what had happened, how Jak had been cornered by the KG and how he had slaughtered nearly 200 of them trying to get away. Jak had publicly apologized to the families of all of his victims, it was the hardest thing he said he had ever done to have to tell all those wives and sons and daughters that they're king was the reason they no longer had a farther or a husband. It was the only time she had ever seen Jak cry. She knew this had to be a hard place for him to be, little did she know it would be a much harder place all too soon.  
  
She was staring into the water and she was some of the sand at the bottom started to shift. This drew her gaze. A small despression was forming in the sand and Keria was almost getting scared, then she saw the gems. Metal-Head skull gems. She screamed. Jak would've heard her and come running but it was at that time that was hit with the Dark Eco and nothing could've penerated his mind.  
  
Keria didn't have much time to react, several Metal-Heads, at least ten, lept up on the deck and attacked. She didn't have any weapons and she wasn't a great fighter and the Metal-Heads easily overpowered her. Two Stingers were with them and they both stung her neck. They had toxins on them that made her as limp as a fish. The Metal-Heads hoisted their prize over their shoulders and dove back into the water. The tunnels were airtight so Keria was still alive when they reached the Wastelands. They dumped her off in front of Gol and Maia's citadel and went back to their tunnels, they had another task to complete. 


	12. Gol's Trophy

"Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Gol as Keria was thrown on the floor of his throne room. "So it seems the king has let his guard down." Keria struggled to get to her feet but with her hands and legs bound it wasn't happening. Gol snapped his fingers and the bounds were undone. She quickly got up and scurried to a corner where she tried feebly to hide from Gol's eyes. "You have nothing to fear from me, daughter of Samos, yet. We're still waiting for the main attraction to arrive."  
  
"This is a trap isn't it?" she spat. "And I'm your bait. Well let me tell you that Jak'll never walk into your trap!" she spat at his feet.  
  
Gol strode over to her and held her by the throat so her face was a s close as possible to his. "When he hears your screams of pain he'll come running!" Gol threw her back to the ground and without turning back to the Metal-Heads he spoke to them. "When Jak gets here I want her alive and unspoiled."  
  
Keria wimpered as the Metal-Heads moved in on her.  
  
Jak was back in the palace with Ashelin, Samos, and Torn. They were all studying a large map of the Wastelands, where Gol had built his citadel. The citadel was crawling, literally, with Metal-Heads  
  
"The Metal-Heads have sided with Gol," said Ashelin. "By draining the Silos and giving the eco to them they've agreed to basically be his bitches."  
  
Jak shook his head. "That's all they'll be too. Once he's done with us he'll move onto them. He won't stop his reign of destruction until there's no speck of life on this planet except for his body."  
  
"Then why doesn't he just attack and get it over with? If he sent every Metal-Head he has at us he'd raze this city to the ground and kill everyone inside." said Torn.  
  
"Because he wants us to think that we have a chance, he wants us to think that if we wait here that we'll be ready when the hammer stroke falls, but we won't be, we can't be." said Jak.  
  
"Well I'm not about to give up without a fight!" yelled Torn slamming his fist on a table. "We spent a year wiping up all the crap Praxis spilled on this city and I'm not going to let some purple skinned freak destroy it all!"  
  
"He's not." said Jak. "He won't come until I'm dead. He knows that if I'm here the city will stand but if I'm out of the way he'll be able to move in for the kill. And the reason he kidnapped Keria was so that I'll go walktzing into his trap."  
  
"So what are we going to do?" asked Ashelin. "And I want an answer this time."  
  
Jak closed his eyes and spoke. "I'm going to do exactly what Gols wants me to do," he said. "Go waltzing into his trap."  
  
"Are you insane Jak!" yelled Samos. "He'll kill you the second he sees you!"  
  
"No," said Jak. "He'll wait to kill me he'll kill Keria first. He wants me to see her die, he wants me to get lost in my anger and rage that I won't be able to see what I need to when he exposes a weakness."  
  
The room was silent. Everyone knew Jak was going and no one could or would stop him.  
  
"I have to guys," said Jak. "It's my only choice." And with that Jak turned his back on everyone in the room as he walked down the palace hallways to the Port. Right after he left Nev came bursting into the palace.  
  
"Ashelin," he yelled throwing a huge binder full of pictures and vid disks onto the table. "We've got a slight problem."  
  
Ashelin pulled outon of the vid disks and put in in the drive of the monitor and immed the lights. He mouth gaped open at what she saw. This was horrendous, this was unheard of, this was undefendable.  
  
"They're in the city!" yelled Nev. "They're all that the main wall pillars. If they all go off at once the city'll crumble!"  
  
"Get Jak back here!" yelled Torn. "He's the only one who can stop this!" The three ran to the doors of the palace only to see the air-train fly over the city walls.  
  
"We have to get him back!" cried Ashelin.  
  
"It's no use." said Samos. "Gol'll kow he's coming and he can't turn back now."  
  
"He's on his own," said Torn. "Just like us."  
  
(((Hey, guys! Sorry these past few chapters have been kind of short. I'm having to cut them down because of school, there's just not enough time to get everything into them. There're only about 3-4 chapters left. And don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. Enjoy the rest!" 


	13. Maia vs Jak

Jak was hurtling across the large bodies of water that kept Gol and his citadel away from Haven City. He had "borrowed without intent to return" the Air Train from the port and was pushing it to the limits. He didn't care if he was overclocking the ignition to it's limit, he didn't care if the engine was going to overheat. He didn't care how many rocks or sea creatures he hit. All that he cared about was getting to Keria, bringing her out and killing Gol in the process.  
  
Gol and Maia looked intently into their ball and smiled as they saw Jak coming.  
  
"I'm suprised he took this long," said Maia. "We didn't even get to torture our bait at all, so dissappointing."  
  
"But not unexpected," said Gol. "The instant he realized she was gone he knew where she was and what the price would be to get her back."  
  
"I shall prepare Keria in your Main chamber," said Maia. "Following your instructions exactly."  
  
"Good," said Gol. "If he even reaches me his death will be so much sweeter. Muhahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"  
  
Somewhere in the depths of their citadel Keria snapped awake and said a single word. "Jak."  
  
Jak came around a corner and he saw it. Gol and Maia's citadel. 20 stories high it had to be. Constructed straight into the face of the mountain Jak realized how impossible it would've been to assault this place and how he was glad he had convinced Torn to call off the attack. Jak felt an old surge run through him that made the hair on his neck stand up. It was the same feeling that had run through him when Dark Eco was present, it was so close he could almost touch it. He saw that it wasn't a mountain but a volcano, and it wasn't lava that choked the shaft, it was Dark Eco. The Dark Eco if the Silos Jak realizied. Maybe they had found a way to control Dark Eco. Then Jak looked down at his hand, his hand that underneath his skin flowed Dark Eco with the blood in his veins. Someone has already found out how to control it Jak thought.  
"Me." he said to himself as he hit the afterburners and landed.  
  
The door of the Air Train hiss ed open as Jak stepped out, gazing up at the citadel. The golden Precursor metal, that coated the Mountain Temple, had been scratched by the Metal-Heads until theirfoul carvings had totally raped something so fair and beautiful that it made Jak want to vomit. The ground was dark, dirty and purple just like the rest of the Wastelands but this ground had more Metal-Head footprints than Jak had ever seen. The gargantuan beasts that seemed indestricuble, the slimy spider types with their pouches so full of eggs it wasn't funny and strange tracks Jak had never seen and he didn't want to know who or what they belonged to.  
  
Jak walked up a few hills and saw that about 100 yards stood between him and the front gate of the citadel. Jak took a step forward and then the ground started to shake. Jak looked around and saw Metal-Heads innumberal come pouring out of the secret passages and gates from the very walls of the citadel itself. They charged straight for Jak who calmly stood there as the army poured down upon him. 'Fine,' he thought. 'Bring it on!'  
  
The first Metal-Heads were only 3 feet away from him when a foul wind came sweeping through them and Jak swore he heard a demonic old voice wispering...  
  
LET HIM PASS  
  
With those words a line, thick enough for a man to pass through opened up in a line towards the gate. Jak took a step forward, nothing. Then another, still nothing. The Metal-Heads were on either side of him and could easily kill him in a second but they didn't. He knew that Gol was probably laughing with glee as Jak walked towards the main gate of his citadel, no doubt thinking that there was no way that Jak could hope to destroy him, no doubt also thinking that he would enjoy killing Keria almost as much as he would enjoy killing him.  
  
Jak looked up, fists balled in anger, at the monstrous gates of the citadel. He stood there for many moments before the gates opened. Jak took a step inside and the gates slammed closed with a loud 'BANG'. The hallway was covered with evil banners and a foul smelling steam filled the room. Jak could hardly see anything but that heightened his other senses; and he heard her, long before he saw her. In the dark reaches of the chamber he heard a soft 'clip-clop' of someone walking towards him. Finally the shadowy figure came into view. Maia.  
  
"Well, well ,well," she said. "Gol was right, you came running like a little puppy who master had thrown a stick. It almost touches me to see how much you care for her you know. How much your willing to give for her."  
  
Jak said nothing but walked until they were only ten feet apart.  
  
"Nothing to say?" she laughed. "I must admit I can understand, you have nothing to say, moments like this need no words. Only action."  
  
Again saying nothing Jak took off his goggles and threw them to the left. He then took off his belt which held his gun and JET-Board and threw them to the right.  
  
"No weapons?" she asked. "What a fool to think that you can face me in single combat."  
  
Jak put a hand behind his back and brought the other one forward and beckoned her closer.  
  
Her face contorted with rage as she screamed and ran full charge at him.  
  
They collided on the center of the chamber. Maia threw a jab that Jak easily blocked and he punched her in the chest several times. She moved a step back and threw a hook at Jak's head, with her left arm and then her right. Jak ducked both easily. His anger was cold so he could use it, focus it on what he was doing. Maia's was hot and so it used her. Jak punched her in the face and she gave him a punch, just as hard, in the chest. Kicks and punches were being thrown at an amazing speed. Maia was fast, no doubt about that, Jak was taking more blows then he was giving but the Dark Eco rippling in his veins gave him stamina unlike anything, he was still fresh but Maia was tiring. Maia brought down her hand like she was swinging an axe. Jak dodged to the side and used his momentem to bring his elbow into her side. Not expecting this kind of quick hand-to-hand combat Maia bent over in pain. Jak took this oppurtunity to slam his balled up fists on her back She fell to the floor on her stomache. This was the part in the fight where you allow your opponent to get up. Those were in the unwritten rules of a fair fight. But this wasn't a fair fight. Jak kicked her in the side. She rolled onto her back. Jak began kicking her in the face, each time it was getting more bloody as Jak kicked pieces of skin off of her face. Finally, Jak stepped back. He could see that Maia was still breathing slightly. He walked up to her as she slowly began to speak.  
  
"You may have beaten me Jak, but you'll have no hope against Gol."  
  
"What did you say?" asked Jak  
  
She laughed a weak and cold laugh. "The 200 years of inprisonment gave Gol powers greater than anything you can imagine. What kind of powers have you gained in the last 200 years?"  
  
"More than even he could imagine."  
  
Jak backed up a few steps and leapt into the air as high as he could and came down as hard as he could on Maia's stomache. Maia's body lurched one last time and Jak watched, with some satisfaction, as she began to choke on the blood she had coughed up. Before leaving, to finally make sure she was dead he walked over to her, pulled out his knife and swiftly slit her throat. Jak spat on her body and walked away, not giving what he had done a second thought. 


	14. Gol vs Jak

Jak left Maia's body lying as he left. He didn't care what, if anything, the Metal-Heads did to it. All he cared about now was finding Gol and Keria. He knew that Gol would have her and when he found him he know that he would try to make it seem that Jak could save her and then when Jak was vulnerable he would kill her and watch as Jak broke before he killed him.  
  
'I'm not falling for his games,' thought Jak. 'I know there's no way I can bring Keria out of this place safely, it'll be my life or her's I know it.' He spoke aloud to himself. "She's not going to die," said Jak with gritted teeth. "And neither am I!"  
  
Jak walked down the corridors until he reached a large brass door. He balled his fist and pounded it three times.  
  
BAM  
  
BAM  
  
BAM  
  
The door opened and showed Jak a large winding stairacse. He took a deep breath and began his journey to the top.  
  
Ashelin, Torn, Sig and Nev were underneath the sewers, following along some crudely carved pathway until they saw it. It looked harmless enough. It was a small ball of energy with sparks sometimes shooting from it. When the company was 50 feet away Nev produced a small scrap of metal.  
  
"This alloy," he said. "Is the strongest substance known to us. It should be able to withstand any force man-made or in nature." He threw it at the ball. It didn't even have a chance to get within ten feet of it before it exploded.  
  
"Holt shit." muttered Sig. He took a few steps with his hand outstretched. Suddenely he reached back his hand in pain. "Son of a bitch is hot."  
  
"It's not heat," said Nev. "It's eco... Dark Eco."  
  
"How many are there?" asked Torn.  
  
"We're not sure," said Nev. "At least 20."  
  
"Mar...." wispered Ashelin. "Isn't there anyway we can remove or neutralize them?"  
  
"Well," said Nev. "You could shoot them and destroy them but the explosion would knock out the main pillar and we'd lose a section of the city."  
  
"What's the big deal then?" asked Sig, still rubbing his hand. "If we just leave them nothing'll happen."  
  
"Wrong," said Nev. "They're all wired to be destroyed with a remote denoater and...."  
  
"Gol has it," said Ashelin.  
  
The company all looked up at the wall of earth above them towards the city and the Wastelands.  
  
"Jak," wispered Ashelin. "Please."  
  
Jak was beginning to wonder if this damned staircase was going to end. The staircase seemed to grow another two steps whenever he climbed one. The smell was getting worse too. A thick, musty stench was burning his nostrils as he climbed ever higher. His eyes were watering by the time the stairs finally ended. He wiped them and stared at the corridor before him. The path was wide enough for three men his size to walk shoulder to shoulder across it and there was an awesome number of doors on either side. Jak began to walk. He knew that Gol was here somewhere and behind one of these doors he waited for him. Somehow though Jak knew where to go. He knew what turns to take and what to ignore. Finally he stood before a door. It seem like anything special, it was just like all of the others but something attracted Jak to this door. He reached his hand out and slammed on the door three times.The door slowly creaked open and Jak strode in.  
  
It was Gol's main chamber. The chamber had no real floor and a sea of bubbling Dark Eco lay restless under him. A narrow bridge led to a circle about 50 feet in diameter and another bridge led from it to a throne, fashioned from solid Dark Eco and sitting there was...  
  
"JAK!" a voice yelled. Jak spun around and looked up. Keria was there. Being suspended in mid-air by a small ball of energy that seemed to shoot bolts of something out of it, eco Jak realized, Dark Eco.  
  
"KERIA!" Jak yelled back.  
  
"JAK BEHIND YOU!" she yelled pointing just as Jak felt something white hot graze past his ear. Jak sun around but slowed when he saw it. Gol was standing in the small arena powering up a ball of Dark Eco.  
  
"Catch this Jak!" he yelled. Jak rolled out of the way and cursed himself for leaving his gun behind. He got up and walked to the arena and stood mere feet away from Gol. Gol who had captured Keria, Gol who had caused the deaths of hundreds of people in this city and in the world he left behind in the rift. Gol, the man who was now standing between him and Keria, the man he had to kill.  
  
"Suprised to see me?" he sneered.  
  
"No," said Jak cold and emotionless.  
  
"Where's Maia?" he asked.  
  
"Dead," spat Jak. "I killed her."  
  
"Then your death will be much sweeter!" and with that Gol threw a punch at Jak. He caught him square in the jaw and threw Jak back into a wall, three feet into it. Jak body fell out and landed with a sickening thud. Jak struggeled to get up but was eventually back on his feet. "Without Eco," Gol spat. "You're nothing boy!"  
  
Jak didn't answer but stood in front of Gol again. Gol threw another punch, Jak dodged this one but then Gol caught him with a kick in the stomache. Jak fell to the ground again at Gol's feet. The pain was nearly unbearable.  
  
"Get up!" spat Gol as he kicked Gol's face. "Die facing me like a man!" Gol lifted him up by his neck and punched him in the stomache and let him fall again. This time Jak slid and landed close to the edge of the arena, nothing but air seperating him from the Dark Eco below. He rolled onto his side just in time to see Gol's foot collide with his face. He fell... 


	15. Wanting It Bad Enough

Falling.  
  
That's all Jak felt as he fell from the arena. No fear, no hatered, not even sadness. He realized that this was it, this was the end.All the people he had failed all the lives that would be on his hands. He had failed miserbly in his attempt to rescue Keria and all his work had been wasted. Gol would attack Haven City again and this time no Dark Warrior would be able to save them. Everyone would die, Daxter, Tess, Sig, Samos, Ashelin, Torn, and then when everyone was dead he would kill Keria letting her absorb that fact that Gol had finally won and that there was no way Jak could save her. That made Jak mad, really, really mad.  
  
Then he hit the eco.  
  
Pain. The only word that could describe what he felt. A hundred, a thousand times worse than the expirements that Praxis had conducted on him. The eco being so concentrated and full that it made him sick. It had the consistincy of honey as Jak slowly began to sink. For about 10 seconds Jak felt the intense pain that no other living person, expect perhaps Daxter, had ever felt, then the pain ended and Jak heard a mystic, deep voice.  
  
Everything that has a beginning has an end Jak. I see the end coming, I see the darkness spreading and you are all that stands in his way. If you cannot stop him tonight I fear tomorrow will never come.  
  
Jak let a scream go and shut his eyes tight. When they were reopened they were black.  
  
As Jak fell Gol let go a triumphent yell. He began screaming down to the eco.  
  
"You worthless fool!" he yelled hoping that Jak could hear him. "You never stood a chance against me, nothing can stand in my way now! Your precious city will be made an example of what happens when I am crossed. No one will cross me again and I shall rule the world! Aha ha ha aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"  
  
Keria fell to her kness began crying. Gol didn't seem to notice for about 30 seconds but he did. He flew up to her platform and stood before her.  
  
"What's the matter?" he said in a sneering voice. "Sad that your savoir is dead?!" Keria was unable to do anything but cry and sob. "ANSWER ME!" yelled Gol and he kicked her in the stomache. She let out a cry and tried to turn away from him cluthcing her stomache. Gol lifted her up her up by her shirt and slapped her across the face and let her fall. He lifted her up again and brought back his fist. "No one to save you now!" he yelled. Keria's eyes went wide as Gol started to bring his fist forward. Suddenely his wrist felt cold and his fist stopped. He turned his head and saw two pitch black eyes staring at him.  
  
"Suprise," the voice growled and punched him in the face. Gol flew backwards but stopped himself before he hit the wall. He turned to examine his new opponent. It looked like Jak; the build was exactly the same but he could not fathom why Jak looked like this beast. It's hair was white as chalk, skin purple, eyes black hands and feet were like claws and talons and he was much larger, he stood at least 15 feet tall and two great wings came out of his back.  
  
The Dark Wings were the final power of the Oracle and gave DarkJak the power of flight, something Gol also had, now the fight would be fair. Gol and DarkJak were now both hovering in mid-air facing eachother daring one another to attack first. Finally DarkJak bared his razor sharp teeth and flew at Gol with amazing speed. Gol didn't dodge fast enough and took DarkJak's attack in the chest. Gol was stunned as he fell out of the air and landed on his back on the arena again. DarkJak let himself down carefully and watched Gol struggle to his feet.  
  
"You cannot hurt me boy," he spat. "You couldn't hurt me before and you won't now."  
  
"I've always had the power to hurt you Gol," DarkJak said. "I just had to want it bad enough, you know what I wanna do now you dirty son of a bitch!" With that DarkJak leapt at Gol and let his horned head spear Gol's stomache. Gol managed to force DarkJak off. DarkJak stared at the gash in Gol's stomache and watched as it sealed itself.  
  
"Just like new." said Gol gesturing to his stomache.  
  
"AARRGGGHHH!!!!!!" yelled DarkJak as he flew at him again. His head rammed into Gol again but this time DarkJak was also landing punch after punch into Gol's sides. He backed Gol into a wall and began just slamming him in the face with a strenghth fueld by hatred and fury never seen before. Finally, when blood began to flow freely from Gol's nose and mouth DarkJak grabbed his shoulders and threw him into the opposite wall, over 200 feet away. The wall collapsed and a huge pile of rubble fell on Gol. DarkJak watched for a few seconds. Then the citadel started to shake and Jak saw Gol fly out of the rubble, looking no worse than when he went in. "Now you've pissed me off" snarled DarkJak as he flew at Gol again.  
  
Gol was ready this time and spun in just the right amount of time. DarkJak flew right past him. Luckily he caught himself and used the wall to push off of as he sped at Gol again with his fist ready to collide with Gol's face. But Gol again was too fast. He caught DarkJak's fist and spun him around and sent DarkJak into a wall. DarkJak flew into it and the force of Gol burrowed him into the wall nearly 30 feet. DarkJak stayed down for about five seconds. He picked himself up and stared out of the hole. Gol was hovering outside of it in a fighting stance. He extended one hand and motioned for Jak to come forward. DarkJak kicked off the wall and flew at Gol again. Gol took him in the chest and the duo were fighting in mid-air flying backwards.  
  
Punch after punch and kick after kick were being thrown and taken by both combatants. Finally they both threw a punch at the same time and connected at the same time. They were both thrown backwards. On opposite sides of the arena DarkJak could feel his strenghth starting to slip Jak was starting to fight for control. DarkJak knew he had to end this fight. He knew he had one chance and it had to work. If he failed Jak failed and that could not happen at any cost. DarkJak raised his arms and let DarkEco fly from them. The bolts of eco flew in an arc and landed in the eco pool. Gol looked on confused and dazed. DarkJak ignored him and pushed harder forcing himself to control what was happening. He had to bend this place to his control. Gol owned him here but DarkJak wasn't backing down. He was tired of this uphill fight, time to even the playing field. He looked back to the pool and saw what he needed to. Two pillars of the liquid Dark Eco were rising. DarkJak pushed harder and the pillars came together. A huge arc of DarkEco flowing above the men. DarkJak was taking control, he was letting this place, which seemed alive with evil, that HE was in charge now and that HE called the shots.  
  
Gol stared in awe at how DarkJak was manipulating the very power that he despised. But along with his awe was fear. Gol was very intune to Dark Eco but enough of it could kill even him. "No," he found himself saying. "No this isn't right this can't be right."  
  
Soon DarkJak had drained the floor of DarkEco and it was all in a massive ball above his head. DarkJak kept it suspended with his own Dark Eco power. He looked across to Gol. Gol, who's eyes were transfixed on the ball of death above him. This much Dark Eco, focused on such a small point would kill anyone, even Gol.  
  
"HEY GOL!!!" DarkJak roared, using his last few ounces of strenghth. "CATCH!!!!"  
  
DarkJak used all of his remaining engery to hurl the ball of eco at Gol. DarkJak leapt back and covered his eyes with his arms.  
  
KA-BOOM!!!  
  
The blast was enormous. It rocked the entire mountain that the citadel had been carved into. The sound left a dull ringing in DarkJak's ears for nearly an hour afterwards.The Metal-Heads began to run into the sea as far away as they could get from the mountain. The main chambers began to collapse around them and when DarkJak reopened his eyes he saw the world through Jak's eyes. He was back in his cage, he had done what he had meant to do and now it was up to Jak to pick up the pieces.  
  
When the clouds had passed Jak saw Gol lying face up on a clump of rocks. He was still breathing.  
  
"No," said Jak coldly. "No, you are not still alive, you are not going to live another day, this time I'm going to make sure your dead before I leave." Jak walked up to Gol's body and saw a small device in his hands. Gol's thumb pushed a small black button and s small digital timer appeared with the number 300 on it. 300 seconds, five minutes.  
  
"You...may have....won the....battle Jak," wheezed Gol. "But....I've...won....the war."  
  
"What are you talking about?" said Jak.  
  
Gol handed Jak the small device with a red and green button on it.  
  
"If you... push the green button.... the bomb under... Keria will be defused.... but all 50.... of the bombs.....under the city.... will explode... and kill....everyone....inside." he wheezed with an evil smile. Jak placed his foot on his throat.  
  
"And if I push the red button?"  
  
"The bomb.... under Keria will explode.... but the city bombs.... will be defused."  
  
Jak's eyes widened. "No."  
  
Gol smiled again. "Better choose quickly.... if the timer hits zero....all the bombs will explode." With those wrods Gol, the sage of Dark Eco, died.  
  
Jak turned away from Gol's corpse and looked at the timer. It was all the way down to 30.  
  
29  
  
28  
  
27  
  
26  
  
25 Keria, she was what he had come for. She was what he had fought and nearly been killed over. She was the one who should be spared.  
  
24  
  
23  
  
22  
  
21  
  
20  
  
But where could they go? Jak knew there had to be other places where human's lived in this world but they wouldn't last long anywhere, the pain of losing everyone else would be too much.  
  
19  
  
18  
  
17  
  
16  
  
15  
  
What had the city done for him? He had been captured, tortured, and tried to be killed more times than he could count. But hadn't they redeemed themselves? Plus everyone else was there. Daxter, Tess, Torn, Sig, Ashelin, Samos, they were all he had left without Keria.  
  
14  
  
13  
  
12  
  
11  
  
10  
  
But how could he ever look Samos in the eyes again? The sage had been like a father to him and now to have Jak come home empty handed, Jak didn't know if he could live like that.  
  
9  
  
8  
  
7  
  
6  
  
5  
  
No time for indescison...  
  
4  
  
Save what should be valued above all else...  
  
3  
  
Keria...  
  
2  
  
Haven City...  
  
1  
  
Jak shut his eyes and did the hardest thing he had ever done. He pushed a button. 


	16. Author's Note and Teaser

Two things I have to cover before I can give you the teaser for "The Last of the Metal-Heads.

First off I would like to thank everyone who read and especially reviewed my story. (You know who you are.) And another thing that seems to confuse you. I'm not going to tell you which buttone Jak pushed. It's supposed to be something that you decide for yourself. I'm sorry for anyone who waiting for a revealtion but I promise that I'm not going to leave you hanging here. So here's the trailer for "The Last of he Metal-Heads."!

It was a dark cold and wet night in Haven City. Everyone was either at home in bed or curled up by a fire in their homes. But one man wasn't. A single figure was walking silentley down the streets of South Town, his destenation was the Stadium. His name was Rail.

He wore a black leather jacket, and a black tee-shirt under it. He had short black spike hair, black jeans and black boots. He had an aura about him that told people to back off and not to get in his way. He knew it and used it whenever he wanted to.

It was only last night when Jak destroyed the Metal-Head leader, the Metal-Head army collapsed when their leaders death was apparent and Rail had had to spend the last day cleaning up all the crap that the Metal-Heads had caused. He wanted peace and he knew there was one place he could get it. He was going to Keria's. He smiled as he remembered the first time he met her.

Flashback:

Rail, Erol and several KG were patrolling the Slums when three things fell out of the sky.

"What was that!" yelled Rail, looking up.

"Something's going on," said Rail. "You go check out the one that landed in South Town, I'll check the one in the Slums and Bolt you get he one in the Ag sector.

Rail grabbed four men and jogged off. After about 15 minutes of searching he found her. The figure of a young women, no older than 16. She was the most beautiful woman that Rail had seen. One of the guards raised his gun and trained the laser sight on her. Rail turned to him and pushed his barrel down.

"Stay back." he said. He walked over and picked up the girl's head. He pressed her neck to check for a pulse. She stireed and opened her eyes and stared into Rail's eyes. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

"J..J..Jak?" she mumbeled.

"My name's Rail," he said quitely. "Who are you?"

She fainted again. Rail exaimed her body and saw a necklace around her neck. He lifted it up and looked at the finely carved piece of wood. 'Keria' it said. Rail's thoughts were interupted by his comm unit.  
"I got a young boy here and Bolt's got an old geezer. They're both kicking and were taking them to prison. What about you." It was Erol. Rail knew this 'Keria' was alive and he knew what Erol would do to her in prison.

"Mines dead," he lied. "I'm calling the meat wagon."

"10-4" said Erol and clicked off.

Rail got on his comm and called the "meat wagon". When the coroner arrived he walked over to Keria's body and took one look before saying,  
"She's alive." He looked at Rail and found himself staring down the barrel of Rail's gun.

"You're going to pronounce her dead and cart away a KG armor suit to pose as her body, do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Uh.... y-y-yes sir.." he ran off and flew away in his car.

Rail turned to his men and placed the laser of his gun on each of there forheads. "No one besides the five of us will EVER know about this incident. Do I make myself PERFECTLY CLEAR!"

Three of them answered in perfect unison "Yes, sir!" but one, a new recruit said. "But sir, falisfying a death is against regulation..." Rail whirled on him, and point his gun right at his neck.

"I AM REGULATION!!"

"Yes sir. Sorry, sir."

"Alright," said Rail. "A.K., you're in charge. I want ground patrols until noon, OK? Good."

Rail picked up Keria's limp body and put her in the passenger side of his Hellcat cruiser. He flew to his house and took her inside and layed her down on the bed and stayed by her side until she awoke.

Present:

Rail was passing in front of the palace. He stopped and looked up at the monolith. He remembered several times in the palace, some good, some better, and some bad. He was an expert lier and had no problem telling Praxis that the young woman had been killed and was now being given an autopsy as they speak. He gritted his teeth in hatred howeer when he remembered how Erol reacted when he found that he had been lied to.

Rail had found her a legitamate job as a race mechanic but unfortuanately she was assigned to be Erol's mechanic. That's when Erol found the necklace she still wore. Erol was mad, very mad.

Flashback:

Erol grabbed Rail by the scruff of his shirt and slammed him into the wall of his gargage.

"You miserable, insubordinate, lying piece of shit!" screamed Erol. "You told me she was dead! You were just keeping her around as your play thing!"

'Big mistake' thought Rail. Rail reared back his arm and decked Erol in the jaw. "Wanna say that again?"

Erol pulled out his gun and pistol whipped Rail across the face. Rail clutched his mouth and took a step back. Erol put his gun to Rail's head. "She's mine now, understand?" he said coldly. "You stay away from her or next time I'll pull the trigger."

Erol turned nd stalked away. Rail spat the blood out of his mouth and went his seperate way.

Present:

Rail hadn't seen Keria since that day. He had seen all of her races and had shadowed her during her tour of the palace and made sure to keep a heavy KG presence in the Stadium sector to protect her during the Metal-Head assault. Now though Erol was dead, he had died when he tried to hit Jak with his Zoomer after Jak beat him in the Class One race.Erol was no great loss to the world. Everyone else in the Stadium screamed in fear, or even cried. Rail just smile grimly and left.

He had had enough of this crap though, now he was sick and tired of everything. Seeing the lights of the Stadium in the distance he started walking again. The road was still long and cold but he kept going until he reached the steps. The last time he was here he remembered seeing a bloodbath. Jak had just won the race and the KG were hot on his trail. Praxis was stupid, Erol had been stupid, the entire city was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid it made him want to scream sometimes. He took a few deep breaths and walked up to her door. He knocked three times. It was opened by Jak. 


End file.
